Detroit Weirdos Invade the Aquarium

About three years ago, just after the demise of Ralph’s Corner, an unsuspecting crowd at the Great Northern had an eye-opening experience.

Detroit’s Human Eye were on the road, supporting their insane self-titled debut, and they were huddled around their van, laughing and talking outside the old train depot, which is now Island Park Cycles.

Nobody in the crowd was there to see a punk rock band of any sort—let alone a band that is one of the strangest in music today. The audience was out on a warm summer night to sip microbrews and—most likely—to listen to Dave Matthew’s Band on the jukebox.

A few took notice of the large plastic, hand-painted eyeballs that littered the stage, but that’s about it.

Then Human Eye took the stage.

For the next fifteen minutes, the entire crowd was transfixed, confused, outraged or completely horrified. Timmy “Vulgar” Lampinen, on guitar and vocals, wielded his battered instrument as if it were about to jump out of his hands. Johnny Lzr’s keyboards sounded like an alien rampage—a hazy, otherworldly fog of futuristic noise.

Lampinen draped himself with a surprisingly realistic giant eyeball attached to a large section of aluminum dryer hose. He lumbered about on stage and eventually landed his lean, imposing frame on top some nearby tables without missing a chaotic note. Drinkers looked like they were genuinely afraid.

It was amazing. Sadly, this crowd didn’t get it. Now Human Eye is back, and people who genuinely like to see something unique and raw will get their wish in abundance.

Human Eye is a band that’s best absorbed by adventurous ears and minds. Their debut self-titled album of 2005 is an incredible collection of short, explosive noise. Flashes of guitar sound as if they’re darting around your insides in some weird audio version of Alien Autopsy. A rain of sinister keyboards cut into your gray matter like rayguns. A thunderous, buzzing rhythm section assaults your ears and never lets up.

It’s not for the faint of heart—an amalgamation of punk, jazz, Chrome, kraut rock, Dead Boys, Testors and psych, that’s relentless and occasionally quite beautiful.

Since their debut, they’ve floated in record-label limbo, searching for a supportive label that would fully back their experimental tendencies. After several years of looking to release a follow-up album, they shipped “Fragments of the Universe Nurse” with Hook or Crook records.

“Universe Nurse” mines more a more primitive, organic pool of influence. Instead of the surgical, futuristic B-movie chaos of their debut, they provide a brutish, surreal take on 60s psychedelia.

“We wanted to kind of, like, broaden our sound,” said Lampinen earlier this month. “Some of the songs are a little longer. We’re into experimenting more with crazy sounds and old psychedelic music—real obscure psychedelic music. We’re just trying not to sound like every band around.”

The album’s a bit less caustic than their debut, but “Universe Nurse” is every bit as out-there as their other releases. It’s somewhat more consistent and even over all. There’s a slow, sinister building up of tension, and the chaos is just a bit more controlled this time around. There’s a primitive, almost tribal rhythm to many songs as well.

“I think the songs on the second albums are more ‘song songs,’” claimed Lampinen. “They’re easier to remember, maybe—for me. I guess that’s sort of for you guys to decide.”

While their records are an experience of their own. Human Eye is a band that specializes in blowing minds in the live setting. They’re known for costumes, weird props, and and wild energy as much as they are for an avant-garde sound.

“You get to see everybody going wild in the band,” said Lampinen of the live show. “Billy (Hafer), our drummer, he’s pretty crazy. He’s not called ‘the hurricane’ for nothing. He’s like a tsunami of drums…a whirlwind. Johnny’s keyboards come out even louder than on record. Brad (Hales), our new bass player goes wild. It’s a different experience, I guess.”

Look around online, and you’ll notice that Human Eye has used and disposed of many outlandish ideas. They’re not content with a choreographed, consistent routine on stage. They’re constantly replacing, changing. Sometimes out of necessity.

“Touring it’s weird because you got to get on stage every night and shit gets broken. If I’ve got some kind of crazy costume, it gets ripped or fu*ked up,” said Lampinen. “There’s definitely a budget constraint. If we had some more money we’d have some crazier shit. We’re definitely regulars at the dollar store—or your local fish market.”

The “fish market” comment refers to Human Eye’s semi-legendary show at Chicago Blackout a couple of years back, when Lampinen—smeared in paint—played a show with a slimy octopus perched atop his head.

“I went to the Russel Street Market in Detroit,” explains Lampinen. “They’ve got all kinds of crazy seafood… They had this frozen octopus, and I thought that might look kind of cool… I thought, ‘I’ll do something with it on stage, I don’t know what.’”

That type of experience—and the one they unleashed on Fargo only a few years ago—sums up what’s so appealing about Human Eye. They’re unpredictable. When so many other bands are doing basically the same thing as everyone else, these guys look, sound and feel as if they come from a totally different universe. Or “Universe Nurse,” if that is more fitting.

With one of the most original sounds out there, and the most visually striking stage presence you’re likely to see from any band anywhere, Human Eye is one Monday-night show you really do not want to miss.

If You Go

What: Human Eye is appearing with locals Les Dirty Frenchmen
Where: Aquarium
When: Monday, October 20, 10 PM
How Much: $5
Info: 701.235.5913